S0E01 - Motley Core Report

General Summary

This story begins inside the Stonehill Inn in Phandalin where a motley crew of adventurers, mostly unknown to each other, are sitting and drinking amongst the regulars, enjoying a good conversation and warming themselves by the hearth. The drink makes the crowd louder tonight...   Verity, a paladin of Bahamut, is accompanied by the grizzled mercenary Tommy. They drink and Verity complains at the emptiness of his coin purse. Suddenly he stands and announces to the tavern that he is looking for adventurers who want to earn coin and join his and Tommy's party. Inevitash comes forward, introducing himself as Info, and Sarwynn also joins them. Verity introduces Tommy as his squire. The four leave the smoky inn behind, enjoying the crisp night air as they walk across town to the adventuring board. There they find three quests posted.   The party selects the quest to warn the midwife and returns to the inn thinking they just need one more adventurer to complete this party. Ideally someone athletic, sneaky and that can see in the dark. They get back to the Stonehill Inn where Info convinces the local cat to join them. Turns out, the cat is actually a hardened rogue. Bahamut be praised, things always work out in the end! The party empties their pockets inside out trying to find coin for drink to toast and seal this new friendship. 10 minutes later, bottles of wine considered for purchase, they pour drinks and toast their new found friends! Unable to come up with a name for themselves, they decide naming their party can wait till later.   The rest of the evening passes, they hear a few rumors: Falcon's Hunting Lodge is a safe haven where you can find a tour guide for the Neverwinter Wood, bring him wine in payment. Another rumor warns that magic confuses wanderers in the Neverwinter Wood. The party heads to bed and rises early to eat breakfast and leave for the 3 hour journey to the midwife's home in Umbrage Hill.   They reach Umbrage Hill just in time, for a vile manticore was breaking down the midwife's door. The party springs to action and though the manticore puts up a good fight, injuring both Kolja and Verity, they kill it just in time. The party is able to convince Adabra Gwynn to return to Phandalin with them. An uneventful journey back to Phandalin, the party seeks out the townsmaster, Harbin Wester, for payment of their first completed quest. The townsmaster won't open his door for fear of the dragon. Manticore nuts go knocking on the door and Harbin eventually provides the 25 gold pieces as payment for a quest completed, sliding one piece at a time under the door. They also find out the dragon was spotted heading east, so Verity pleads to the group to help the gnomes next, since they are in that direction and they agree, returning to the Stonehill Inn for a discussion on what supplies they might need, and some much needed drink and rest before leaving for Gnomengarde.   Everyone wakes up feeling a bit stronger than the day before...